Small Business Is Kind Of A Big Deal
Everyone knows about Black Friday, but did you know that there is an official shopping holiday called Small Business Saturday that occurs on the Saturday after Thanksgiving?
Shop SmallMart Not WalMart on 11/28!
There are many reasons to shop at your local, small businesses. Every dollar spent at a local business is multiplied when the business owners reinvest that revenue into the community in the form of jobs, advertising, and services. You also get the chance to support the kind of businesses you want in your community. Small businesses contribute to your community’s unique character.
Fairfax
Baby Canvases 5 at Olly Olly in Fairfax City:
Saturday Nov. 28th @7pm
10417 Main St., 2nd Floor
Fairfax, VA 22030
FREE Parking
How about adopting some art? It seems fitting to buy something literally small while supporting local artists on Small Business Saturday. Baby Canvases Five is a one night only event featuring original, miniature artwork measuring 3″ x 3″ or smaller by an ever expanding and extraordinary roster of local artists. Baby Canvases Five is your chance to celebrate local art, jumpstart your art collection, add a rare and amazing little find to your existing collection, or pick up an exceptional gift of art for someone special!
Get there early! This very popular show is in its 5th year, and pieces sell quickly!
If all that art excitement works up an appetite, head over to a great new hole-in-the-wall restaurant, ABC Canteen. They will be rewarding customers who visit them on Saturday with a taco-licious special–twenty dollars of food for just $12! That will buy you a lot of tacos, and their street-style tacos are amazing!! Just mention that you saw the promotion here!
Alexandria
This sounds like fun! Random Acts of Holiday Cheer is a new twist on Small Business Saturday that is being vigorously celebrated in Old Town Alexandria. Alexandria boasts a charming collection of indie shops that will be decked out in holiday cheer on Saturday Nov. 28th. In addition to special discounts, giveaways, unique treats, and festivities, you can keep a look out for the Elf Prize Patrol, holiday buskers, and the “Spot A Bag” contest. An Elf Prize Patrol? That jingles my bells!
Speaking of bells, you can ring your bike’s bell when you join the Women & Bicycles: Small Business Saturday Shopping by Bike. Bikers meet in the morning at Crystal City Metro and bike to King Street Metro where you will park your bike and shop til you drop. The organizers recommend bringing a large bike basket or panniers to hold your goods. Tickets are FREE, but you do need to register to join the pedal party.
Arlington
Howdy neighbor!
The Arlington Small Business Alliance wants everyone to “shop like you mean it” during Arlington Small Business Day on Saturday Nov. 28th. A long list of shops and restaurants in Arlington are participating with impressive specials and events on their special day. A great way to get out and see your neighbors and enjoy a small town experience in A-town.
One Arlington business, writing the book on how to celebrate Small Business Saturday, is One More Page Books, an indie bookstore located at 2200 N Westmoreland Street #101. They kick the day off at 10am with coffee and doughnuts. Yum! Throughout the day they have a full schedule of raffles, giveaways, games, gift wrapping by local authors, a wine tasting and even a book launch party. Check it out!
Takoma Park
Takoma For The Holidays
is how Takoma Park launches their annual Shop Small Saturday and Pajamarama. Takoma Park is proud of their diverse and thriving independent business community, and is celebrating their contribution to Takoma Park with a month long variety of holiday events. Oh, and don’t bother getting dressed on Dec. 16th. Pajamarama is exactly what it sounds like. Stores will open early to welcome pajama-clad shoppers without any judgement!
DC
DC’s department of Small and Local Business Development is encouraging DC residents to explore all the DC neighborhoods for their unique offerings on Small Business Saturday. They’ve compiled a list of participating neighborhoods, and want shoppers to use the hashtag #ShopDC when mentioning their local businesses on social media.
If you are looking for a unique gift from the comfort of your home, but still want to support local small businesses, check out the Made In DC Team on Etsy. This is a collection of artists and crafters from the DC area who sell their creations on Etsy. I like to smell good, so one of my favorites is Herban Lifestyle. They make small batch, fair trade skincare products that smell amazing. They make great gifts for yourself or someone else!
